City Seniors to Get Some Dental Assistance

As part of a $10,000 grant from The Home Instead Senior Care Foundation, Crotched Mountain Community Care  (CMCC) will be able to fund a program that will help seniors with their unmet dental needs.

CMCC is an affiliate of Crotched Mountain Foundation in Greenfield, NH and offers care coordination and support services to over 800 seniors and adults living with chronic illness and disabilities throughout New Hampshire.  

One program of CMCC is the Dental Care Assistance Program. CMCC offers financial assistance for dental care to clients who are on the Choice for Independence Program, a Medicaid waiver program through the Bureau of Elderly and Adult Services. The primary focus of CMCC’s services is to assist seniors and adults with chronic illness and/or disabilities to live as independently in their own homes for as long as possible.  Assisting with dental care services is one way the CMCC helps individuals reach this goal.

“We are delighted that Crotched Mountain is one of the 13 organizations selected to receive grant funding from The Home Instead Senior Care Foundation,” said Ann Schwartzwalder, Program Director, Crotched Mountain Community Care. “A significant challenge for many low income seniors is affording dental care. Medicaid pays for emergency extractions only.  And poor dental health leads to poor nutrition, which can lead to serious health consequences. This funding will help us to provide needed dental services to our clients throughout New Hampshire by offsetting the cost of dental exams, cleanings, fillings, and dentures.” 

“The Foundation has awarded $25,000 within the state of NH this year,” said Lisa Ganem, Owner, Home Instead Senior Care of Seacoast and Southern NH. “Crotched Mountain Community Care, whose mission is similar to our own - to enhance the lives of aging adults and their families, is a deserving recipient.  This grant will enable clients to have access to needed dental care for seniors who otherwise may not be able to afford such services.”

“We are pleased to provide this grant funding to Crotched Mountain for making a positive difference in the safety, well-being and independence of seniors,” said Roger H. Baumgart, Executive Director of The Foundation. 

In 1994, Lori and Paul Hogan founded Home Instead Senior Care, an international company of independently owned and operated franchises, to provide non-medical care for seniors.  As a means to further enhance the lives of older adults, going above and beyond the scope of this organization, The Home Instead Senior Care Foundation was established in 2003.

The Home Instead Senior Care Foundation has awarded more than 100 grants throughout the United States and Canada since 2004.  To learn more about The Foundation, visit www.homeinsteadseniorcarefoundation.org. 

Submitted by Melanie Fleming on behalf of Home Instead Senior Care Foundation